Moores sends Plunkett home to rediscover his rhythm

England's coach, Peter Moores, has again proved his determination to repair the bond between the national side and the first-class counties. Liam Plunkett bears testimony to that. While England face West Indies at The Riverside in the final Test on Friday, he will be bowling for Durham against Hampshire.

Whereas his predecessor, Duncan Fletcher, would probably have resisted pressure for the player to return to the county game and opted to keep Plunkett with the England squad, Moores believes he will benefit from the move.

"Liam is a young bowler. One thing I will say after working with him over the last three Tests is that he works very hard at his game and he is getting better," said Moores. "But Test cricket is a tough place to learn and there is a case for him to go back to Durham, do some more work there. We will keep monitoring and helping and see where it takes him. He is an exciting cricketer because he bowls the ball at a decent pace, 85mph, he swings it and he can bat. He is one of those cricketers that we would love to get through and we will support him all the way."

Plunkett had a nightmare at Old Trafford, bowling without control and was entirely overlooked by his captain, Michael Vaughan, as England forced a 60-run victory on the final day. But his talent is undeniable. His swing bowling was one of the major factors in England surprising everyone by winning the Commonwealth Bank triangular series against Australia and New Zealand last winter.

Matthew Hoggard, Plunkett's replacement, tests his fitness for Yorkshire against Northants in the Friends Provident Trophy today, with the intention that he will join the England squad tonight. Jimmy Anderson - not Plunkett - is on standby.

India, meanwhile, have left out their opening batsman Virender Sehwag for the Test series in England while the off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has failed to regain his place after being dropped for the series in Bangladesh. Another spinner, Ramesh Powar, was chosen to partner the leg-spinner Anil Kumble in a 16-man squad for the three Tests. The former chairman of selectors Chandu Borde will manage the tour. The 72-year-old former India captain takes over from Ravi Shastri, who was interim manager in Bangladesh.